Learning Pyramid - NRCS



“Learn to Teach & Teach to Learn”

Soil Survey Division Training Instructor Guide

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The process of teaching and learning is a three-legged approach, according to Steve J. Thien, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University. We as instructors must learn how to teach then teach to learn. The student must learn how to learn. The following is a grab bag of ideas and guides, from NEDC, Dr. Ed Jones of Management Training Consultants, Inc., Robert W. Pike and associates of the Bob Pike Group, and the U.S. Navy, to help you in your process of learning to teach and teaching to learn.

Table of Contents

Applying Adult Learning Theory 3

Motivation 3

Logic 5

Immediate Application and Participation 5

Repetition 6

The Four-Step Process of Instruction 7

Some Hints to Stimulate Participation 8

Developing Effective Instructional Materials 11

10-Step Plan 11

Practical Tips 14

Learning Pyramid 20

Developing Your Lesson Plan 21

SSD Requirements and Guidance for Instruction Preparation 22

Required 22

Optional 22

Addendum Material 24

Writing Objectives 24

Performance Objectives Worksheet 26

The Seven Laws of Learning (Robert W. Pike) 27

The 22 Deadly Sins (Robert W. Pike) 28

Applying Adult Learning Theory

1. Adults have a need to know why they should learn something.

Training should be based on valid needs of the intended audience. All information provided should include reasons for learning. The benefits of learning should be clearly shown. Activities should be based on real work experiences.

2. Adults have a greater volume and different quality of experience than youth.

Design training activities that reflect the actual work the learners will perform. Provide activities that permit learners to compare the theoretical aspects of the training with their experiences.

3. Adults enter into a learning experience with a task-centered (or problem-centered or life-centered) orientation to learning.

Design training so that learners are solving problems or performing tasks as close to those encountered back on the job as possible. If large amounts of information support the problem-solving activities, present this information as reference material. Teach learners how to use the information to successfully complete the problem-solving activities. Do not do an information dump. Focus activities on “doing” something with information rather than simply “knowing” the information.

More on the application of adult learning theory can be found at:



Motivation

You cannot motivate your students. They must motivate themselves.

What you can do:

• Your students may ask, “What’s in it for me?” Show them the value or use of your material.

• Use praise liberally. Call it positive reinforcement.

• Make course objectives clear when setting expectations, then challenge students to achieve them. For some, having a goal to attain is motivation to attain it.

• Be available, before, after, and during your presentation, during breaks, etc.

• Be excited about your topic.

What you want to avoid doing. De-motivators are:

• No energy, no eye contact, speaking in a monotone, no personal contact

• “I did, I am, etc.” Too much personal experience

• Poor preparation

• Singling out individual learners

• Reading directly from manuals, slides, etc.

• Lack of time for topic and for questions and answers

• In the same gear all day (no, I don’t mean clothing.)

• Having no credibility

• Being quick to criticize

• Talking down to learners, making them feel stupid

• Not covering/sticking to objectives

• Too many “war stories”

• Disinterest in the subject and/or the learners

Learning is stimulated through the five senses.

There are few stimuli that will activate all five senses at once. Some are more vital than others. A breakdown of how we learn today:

75% through the sense of sight

13% through the sense of hearing

6% through the sense of touch

3% through the sense of smell

3% through the sense of taste

To stimulate learning through the senses:

• Use visual stimuli whenever possible. Learners remember more about what they see.

• Appeal to several senses together for the most efficient learning.

• Use strong stimuli, such as vivid pictures, loud noises, and bright colors, for a better response. (Do not go overboard.)

• Vary the stimuli; repetition of even a strong stimulus becomes monotonous and weakens the desired response.

In 451 B.C., Confucius said, “What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; but what I do, I understand.”

A stimulating presentation requires more preparation, but if a subject is worth remembering, it is worth the effort that it takes to make it memorable.

Logic

All information entering the mind is screened by an analytical process that rejects, or at least questions, ideas that do not make sense. Use the following principles to prepare lessons logically.

1. Each point must make sense by itself.

• The “why” behind your point; learners want to know the reason behind your point.

• State your point then ask the learners to apply it to specific instances.

2. The points must come in a logical sequence. These can be:

• Whole to part; big picture first, then specific parts (NSSL data sheet first, then the tiers, then the columns, for example)

• Importance

• Time

• Geographic

• Magnitude

• Difficulty

• Order of performance

Immediate Application and Participation

This principle directs you to try out the skills or verbalize the facts required. In essence, have your learners do it now, there in the classroom.

A good rule to follow is the more participation there is-the more learning has occurred. “People learn more effectively when they are actively involved in the learning process, not passively observing it.”

However, participation for the sake participation sake can be a waste of time. Make sure there is a planned purpose for the activity.

Many trainers believe that, in groups of 20 or more, participation is not practical. But limited participation is possible and beneficial. Limit it to small groups within the class. Then a spokesperson for the group presents their ideas. Thus, each learner is involved in the learning – testing understanding, getting feedback, and making adjustments – just as though he/she interacted directly with the presenter. In most cases, our SSD training courses will be conducted utilizing small groups. Some tips for small group instruction are listed later in the section “Practical Tips.”

Active participation includes:

1. Oral

• Questions asked of the whole class

• Assignments to groups of students to explain subpoints, etc.

2. Written

• Working on group exercises

• Individual tasks

• “Pop” quizzes

• Flip chart summaries

3. Group work

• Group discussions

• Small team exercises

• Projects for later presentation

4. Physical

A. Assembly of apparatus

B. Hands-on use of assembled apparatus

C. Performing an activity

Repetition

Studies show that as much as 65-75% of the material learned will be “forgotten” within a week. This is the reason that the world of advertising presents us with a steady barrage of commercials over and over again. There are two ways that repetition can be used effectively without being boring.

1. Repetition with a difference: Give the same information but vary your approach. An example would be using a film followed by a case study.

2. Refresher training: Cover the same material, but in less time and with less intensity. Each time, the learner will forget less and retain more and get closer to your desired learning level. This method has some application during the week of training but may be best applied over the following several weeks.

3. Interval training: Learners will retain only about 10% of what they learned after 30 days. However, if you provide the material at six intervals and increase the amount of time from each interval to the next one, they will retain 90% after 30 days.

• 1st time

• 2nd, an hour later

• 3rd, next day

• 4th, 1 week later

• 5th, 2 weeks later

• 6th, 30 days later

The Four-Step Process of Instruction

Step 1 – Prepare

A. Prepare yourself for helping them learn.

• Have thorough familiarity with the subject.

• Break down the components of the subject.

• Design a training plan that:

o Explains how, what, where, and why

o Is clear as to what you expect of the students

o Is clear as to how you are measuring the effectiveness of the training.

B. Prepare the employees for learning.

• Put them at ease.

• Give them the big picture.

• Let them know what’s in it for them.

• Gauge their reactions and respond accordingly.

Step 2 – Present

A. Tell them about the subject.

B. Show them the task.

• Go through it several times and allow time for questions and discussion.

• Avoid too many details.

• Demonstrate how to perform the task.

• Explain why it is done this way.

Step 3 – Let them try

A. Have them tell you.

• Describe the job and the steps involved.

• Don’t move on until they have it down.

B. Have them “show themselves.”

• You follow the instructions as they give them to you.

C. Have them explain.

D. Let them try.

E. Correct their mistakes.

• Take one thing at a time.

• Set a pattern for correction.

o Establish what is wrong (try to get them to identify the problem).

o Present right way again.

o Let them try it again.

o Fix the correction in their mind before moving on.

F. Help them develop skill.

• Observe and continue feedback.

Step 4 – Follow up

A. Put them on their own.

B. Encourage them to ask questions when they have them.

Some Hints to Stimulate Participation

Check out what follows. More on this subject of participation within the classroom structure can be found at:



Quoting from sources as examples:

• “She says, ‘Yes. Say more about that,’ and nods her head and says, ‘Right, right, and how do you feel about that?’ I guess she just invites us to talk and then keeps us talking. More important, she listens to what we say and shows respect for our ideas as well as our feelings.”

• “His sessions sound like a cross between an interview and a counseling session with a ‘shrink’ He doesn’t offer a single fact or opinion of his own. Instead, he gets us to talk about the subject by offering provocative comments, stories and questions. Finally, he summarizes what we’ve said.”

• “She walks over to you and watches you intently while you are talking, at close range, as though just the two of you were having a conversation. She leans toward you while she nods and says ’yes’ or ‘right.’“

• “He reaches toward us with his hand open and palm up. Sometimes he beckons with it as though asking us to keep talking. He signals to the one who’s talking and keeps the others from butting in.”

Along similar lines:

|Leader Statement |Leader Attitude |Leader “message” to group |

|“I see.” |Neither agree or disagree; noncommittal|“I’m interested in what you are saying.” |

|“Yes, yes” |but positive | |

|“In other words, you think…” |Be sure you understand what he/she |“I’ve listened; I understand; I have the |

|“If I understand you correctly, your decision |means. |facts.” |

|would be…” | | |

|“You feel that…” |Be sure you understand how she/he |“I’ve listened; I understand how you feel; your|

|You are upset about…” |feels. |feelings are important.” |

|“The group seems to feel that…” |Summarize group contributions. |“This is what you have expressed, and it is |

|“The key ideas that you have expressed seem to | |important.” |

|be…” | | |

The wallflower and the motor mouth

The wallflower is a learner who resists participating. Whether this person is trained to be quiet or simply is a shy, introverted person, he/she is more likely to speak up when there is no threat of embarrassment. You as a presenter can reduce this threat in several ways:

• Before asking a question, watch the learner’s face to see if it registers a clear understanding of what is going on.

• Always ask questions with no “wrong” answers; after another learner has said something concise and accurate, ask the wallflower if she/he agrees.

• Always express approval of inputs, especially those of wallflowers.

• Utilize small group activities.

• Generate questions within small groups. Wallflowers may be more comfortable in a small group than in the larger group.

• Provide incentives for contributing to learning, especially within the small groups; make it possible for the peers in the group to reward the wallflower.

The motor mouth is a learner who over-participates, from simple aggressiveness and/or excessive enthusiasm. There is a risk of developing an adversarial relationship between the motor mouth and the presenter. Avoid ridicule as a presenter. Even though the other learners usually lose patience with the motor mouth before the presenter does, they will resent berating of any of their colleagues. You may try the following:

• Use body language, moving about the room so that you do not directly face him/her.

• At the same time, use some of the techniques intended to draw other learners out.

• If that does not work, try holding out your palm at him/her in the classic policeman’s “stop” signal when he/she tries to interrupt.

• Use incentives that may involve others and thus make it difficult for one person to dominate.

• Build a praise bridge to another participant: Offer praise by saying, “We appreciate your responses.” Then add, “Now, let’s hear from someone else.”

Developing Effective Instructional Materials

An operational definition of a presentation is: The systematic discussion, explanation, or demonstration of skills, knowledge, or attitudes. To make an effective presentation, we should follow guidelines developed by the experts.

In conjunction with the 10-step plan itemized below, there is the consideration of developing lesson plans. Lesson plans provide aids and guides to help somebody else step in and present your material if you are not available. They are also meant to help keep you focused on your own objectives, teaching aids, personal hints, etc. More on lesson plans can be found at:



10-Step Plan

The Planning Process:

1. Identify audience needs.

2. Identify the topic and the questions that will be asked.

3. Determine the level of knowledge needed and the sequence of your subtopics.

4. Write your objectives.

5. Prepare an outline to structure your content.

6. Add the details.

7. Choose the presentation method.

8. Rehearse.

Delivery and Evaluation:

9. Delivery of the presentation

10. Evaluation

Feedback

| | |

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| | |

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| | |

|Needs Assessment | |

|Lecture |5% |

|Reading |10% |

|Audio-Visual |20% |

|Demonstration |30% |

|Discussion Group |50% |

|Practice by Doing |75% |

|Immediate Use of Learning |90% |

More on this subject can be found at:



Developing Your Lesson Plan

Lesson plans:

• Help you plan and script your delivery

• Saves plan of delivery for your use the next time

• Can pass on plan of delivery to temporary or permanent replacement

• Provides consistency when more than one person is delivering the lesson

Templates for lesson plans can be found on our web pages:



We should strive to prepare and maintain a lesson plan for each and every lesson, field trip, lab or field station, etc.

SSD Requirements and Guidance for Instruction Preparation

Required

1. All presentation materials will be electronic or have an ecopy. This form of presentation will facilitate:

• Preparation of any course hard-copy bound materials

• Posting all materials on a Web site for ecopy

• Easy maintenance

2. Turn in all materials to the training coordinator, unless otherwise instructed, by the date requested to facilitate preparation of course materials.

3. Follow guidance for background color and contrasting text color on PowerPoint slides.

4. Use the four-step process from page 7; prepare, then tell them and show them, let them try, and follow-up as needed.

5. We will prepare a lesson plan for everything.

6. We use pictures, but they make files huge. You can mitigate this problem—saving room on your hard disk and reducing download time—by

• using the Insert menu and Picture command, first creating jpg files to locate and insert, or

• using One Note Screen clipping and paste to capture parts of a file, or

• using SnagIt software to capture and paste parts of a file.

7. You should rehearse the timing of your presentation.

• The Office Assistant (Microsoft) will help you with this in PowerPoint, or

• You could go to AgLearn ( ) and find instructive materials that apply.

o AgLearn – Catalog – Desktop Computer

o Find the module titled “Customizing, Running, and Broadcasting PowerPoint Presentations.”

o Go to the lesson titled “Multimedia and navigation tools…”

8. You could rehearse your presentation with recorded narration (if you have a microphone along with your speakers). This form of rehearsal will give you feedback on your speech pattern as well as the content of your presentation.

• The Office Assistant (Microsoft) will help you with this, or

• PowerPoint in Office 2007 has a Rehearse Timings option under Slide Show, or

• You could go to AgLearn ( ) and find instructive materials that apply.

o AgLearn – Catalog – Desktop Computer

o Find the module titled “Customizing, Running, and Broadcasting PowerPoint Presentations.”

o Go to the lesson titled “Broadcasting presentations online…”

9. Send your presentation to other cadre members for peer review.

• The Office Assistant (Microsoft) will help you with this for Word or PowerPoint files.

o File – Send to – Mail recipient (for review)

• Automatically opens the reviewer’s editing toolbar if it is not already open

• Helps you keep track of each sender’s comments/edits received

• Helps you merge comments into your original document

• You could go to AgLearn ( ) and find instructive materials that apply.

o AgLearn – Catalog – Desktop Computer

o Find the module titled “Customizing, Running, and Broadcasting PowerPoint Presentations.”

o Go to the lesson titled “Sending and reviewing presentations…”

10. You can get assistance by accessing Microsoft Office Online, where there is a module for recording and rehearsing your presentations ().

11. If unsure about how to organize a PowerPoint presentation, you can go into PowerPoint and find templates with text to guide you. Look for the followingon the main toolbar on PowerPoint:

• New…

Addendum Material

Writing Objectives

On the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) portion of their Web site, NEDC has some information regarding writing performance objectives. You may want to review this information.



The analysis phase should have answered these questions:

• Is there a problem worth solving?

• Is instruction a relevant part of the solution?

• If so, what should the instruction accomplish?

Only after the analysis phase is complete or near completion are objectives drafted.

A course description tells us something about the content and procedure of the course. An objective is a description of a performance you want learners to be able to exhibit before you consider them competent. An objective describes an intended result of instruction, rather than the process of instruction itself. At a minimum, the statement will include the performance result. In addition, in order to clarify the result if needed, we may add conditions and/or criteria to the objective.

There are three main reasons for explicit objectives.

1. When clearly defined objectives are developed, there is a sound basis for the selection or designing of instructional materials, contents, or methods.

2. We will be able to measure whether the objective has, in fact, been accomplished.

3. Students will have a means of organizing their own efforts toward accomplishment of the objectives.

In short, if we know where we are going, we have a better chance of getting there.

Again, the characteristics of a useful objective are:

1. Performance (what the learner is to be able to do)

2. Conditions (important conditions under which the performance is expected to occur)

3. Criteria (the quality or level of performance that will be considered acceptable)

Performance is described by a doing word. Examples of these are found on the NEDC ISD Web site for writing performance objectives.



An example of an objective statement with performance only:

At the end of this training, the learner will be able to construct a digital map.

Is that clear to you? Would everyone seeing that objective reach the same conclusion? Sometimes, as you can see, stating a performance only may not be enough. That is when we want to add conditions and/or criteria. Let’s add a condition.

At the end of this training, given the editing tools in ArcGIS 9.0, the learner will be able to construct a digital map.

This is somewhat clearer, and maybe it is enough. At least, we now know that the learner should be able to complete a map with the condition that ArcGIS 9.0 editing tools will be used. We could, however, go a step further and add criteria. An example:

At the end of this training, given the editing tools in ArcGIS 9.0, the learner will be able to construct a digital map of an approximately 5,000-acre designated project area. Work will meet NRCS standards and pass a quality-control review by a GIS specialist.

Now, we have criteria applied as well as the condition. The objective now states that there is a project area of a designated size and that the work must meet standards and pass review.

Just a little food for thought as we prepare to do this task. Writing and editing learning objectives will be a task for all instructors. The following NEDC Performance Objective Worksheet will to assist you.

Performance Objectives Worksheet

Beginning with an appropriate verb, describe what a learner will be able to do after training using the components described here.

|Performance Objectives |

|At the end of this training, learners will be able to … |

|Task/Topic |Performance |Criterion |Condition |

|Begin with a verb. |Answer this: What will the learner know or do? |Describe how well the learner should know or be |Begin with “given” or “when” and describe the |

| | |able to do the performance. |condition that must exist for the learner to |

| | | |perform. |

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The Seven Laws of Learning (Robert W. Pike)

1. The Law of the Teacher: “Do you, as the instructor, have personal experience in applying what you are about to teach?”

2. The Law of the Learner: “Throughout your presentation, do you constantly emphasize for the participants the answer to ‘What’s in it for me?’”

3. The Law of the Language: “Do you always speak so that the participants can understand?”

4. The Law of the Lesson: “Are you willing to go from the known to the unknown? Do you start from where they are; establish a base line that they can build from?”

5. The Law of the Teaching Process: “Do you get people involved?”

6. The Law of the Learning Process: “Learning does not take place until behavior is changed. It is not simply a matter of showing that you can do it but of demonstrating to them that they can do it.”

7. The Law of Review and Application: “Do you show people how to apply it in real life?”

The 22 Deadly Sins (Robert W. Pike)

1. Appearing Unprepared: This does not mean that you are actually unprepared, which you must be, but it does mean appearing that you seem to be unprepared. Not knowing what comes next is an example.

2. Starting Late: Always start on time. Reward those who are on time and penalize those who are late.

3. Handling Questions Improperly: Putting them off (I’ll answer that later); giving them impression that it is a dumb question, etc.

4. Apologizing for Yourself or the Organization: In all likelihood, most of your participants won’t notice the problem. Don’t apologize, just keep moving on.

5. Being Unfamiliar with Knowable Information: Know the obvious such as agency names, key people in attendance, etc.

6. Using Audio Visuals Unprofessionally: Not knowing how to operate the projection system is an example. Become familiar with it before your presentation, not during it.

7. Seeming to be Off Schedule: In order to not appear off schedule, tell participants where you’re going and how long it’s going to take to get there.

8. Not Involving the Participants: Enough said.

9. Not Establishing Personal Rapport: Make eye contact; be available at breaks, etc.

10. Ending Late: This is worse than starting late. They will not be pleased if you run over your scheduled time.

11. Appearing Disorganized: Cover objectives, have an introduction, summarize.

12. Not Quickly Establishing a Positive Image: Quickly take command, let them know that you know who you are, where you are, and where you are going with your presentation. Appearance is important.

13. Not Covering the Objectives Promised: “Promise much, deliver more.” Make sure you deliver what you promised.

14. Not Scheduling Enough Breaks: 10 minutes for every 60-90 minutes in the classroom.

15. Practicing Bad Habits: Get rid of distracting habits and mannerisms such as jingling change in your pockets, using “um” or other non-words during pauses.

16. Not Checking the Environment: Responsibility of your coordinator.

17. Not Updating Material: Be current.

18. Not Admitting Mistakes: Admit it when you don’t know an answer or make a mistake.

19. Using Inappropriate Language: Tasteless words or phrases can taint a presentation. Don’t offend even one participant.

20. Using Inappropriate Humor: Best to avoid humor that relates to origin, sex, politics, or religion.

21. Coming on as an Expert, a Know-It-All: We can demonstrate our expertise with being superior.

22. Using Poor Grammar, Pronunciation, and Enunciation: Work on your delivery skills.

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“Learning is what they remember

after they have forgotten all that you said”

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